To be the Master is my Dream
by Islets of Langerhans
Summary: Ash never arrived in time to get a conventional starter. Instead, he got a rather unusual first choice- but this Pokemon will alter Ash's journey forever. Join Ash as he travels towards the goal of becoming a Dragon Master who rivals even Lance of the Indigo Plateau!
1. Pallet and Beyond

I don't own pokemon- Nintendo or whoever actually owns it do, as if I owned it, the anime and games would be quite different...

Islets

PS. I don't own any images either

* * *

_"Bye daddy!" A voice called out from behind him. _

_The figure with messy black hair and tanned skin turned around to look at the picturesque little house, and saw his little boy running out after him, waving madly. The man laughed, and swung the little boy round in a hug, before setting him down on the earthen path that led out of Pallet Town._

_"You will be good for mummy, won't you Ash?" Isiah Ketchum smiled down at his five year old son._

_"Yes daddy, I will!" Ash excitedly said, "Good luck daddy!"_

_"Thanks kid." _

_And with that final parting phrase, Isiah Ketchum walked out of his wife and son's lives, and it seemed he would never return._

* * *

It had been five years since Isiah Ketchum had left on his journey, and now, his son Ash was ready and raring to go on his own.

Except for one little snag.

The morning of April the First, the day all ten year old trainers received their first pokemon, Ash had, in his sleep, managed to throw his alarm clock over to the other side of his room, thus breaking it. So as a result, he hadn't woken up in time to get to Oak Laboratories, and by the time he had run the half mile, he was too late.

"But Professor, are there seriously no other pokemon? Not one?" Ash looked heartbroken- all his dreams ruined just because of an alarm clock! The final starter pokemon had been taken by a girl- who had been running late herself- from Saffron City.

"I'm sorry Ash they're all gone. I can probably get one for you by the start of next month, but-"

"But by then Gary will be too far ahead to ever catch up with!" Ash was now looking close to tears, and Professor Oak looked at the boy thoughtfully before nodding to himself,

"Well, I may have one-"

"Please Professor! I'll take good care of him, I promise! Please!" Ash instantly interrupted, begging shamelessly.

"Fine," grinned the professor, "I'll just fetch him for you shall I?" And with that, he walked in to his private study, leaving Ash alone with only his eager anticipation for company.

Ash did not have long to wait however, as Oak returned a minute or so later, holding in one hand a strange looking pink pokeball.

"Err, Professor? What's that?" Ash asked, looking at the strange pokeball he held.

"Oh this?" he replied, looking at the object. "An old friend caught this pokemon using a special kind of ball and then sent it to me, so I could study the effect of a different type of capture device on a pokemon."

"Yes, but what is it? It doesn't look like any type of pokeball i've ever seen."

"It's a love ball. To be exact Ash, it isn't actually a _poke_ball at all. It's an _apri_ball, a special type of capture device that was used until the invention of the modern day pokeball. This one I believe was crafted by a man named Kurt from the Johto region, and it's a ball designed for capturing a pokemon with the opposite gender to your own."

"That's pretty clever." Ash commented, looking at the pink carved ball, only now realising the effort taken to create the thing.

"I know, but anyway here you are Ash- your first pokemon."

Ash looked nervously at the ball, before nodding, and throwing it up in the air, relishing in the clunking, whooshing sound that accompanied the beam of light that spilled over from out of the ball. Ash watched as it began to form into a creature, and waited for the last few seconds before he saw a pokemon that he had never seen before sitting on the lab table in front of him.

Sitting on the bench was a small, blue, parrot like creature with fluffy white wings, that was looking up at Ash in curiosity.

"Professor? What is this?" Ash asked interestedly, already taken by the cute bird pokemon.

"This Ash," the Professor said, "is a Swablu. An old friend called Prof. Birch sent him over to me for study after he captured it in the love ball. The reason you haven't heard of this species in probably because it's only native to the Hoenn and Sinnoh regions, both of which are hundreds of miles to the south and north of Kanto."

Ash smiled at the Professor, but was soon distracted by the Swablu flapping up to rest on his shoulder.

"I'll take him Professor!" he exclaimed in his usual excited way.

"Good! Right Ash, here's your pokedex, and there's six pokeballs to get you started. And Ash-" he called out to Ash, who was already retreating out of the lab.

"Yes Professor?" He asked as he turned around.

"Don't start your journey in your pyjama's!"

"Oh, right." Ash blushed, then turned and headed home with his first pokemon- Swablu!

* * *

"Mom! I'm back!" Ash yelled as he slammed into the house. Delia Ketchum poked her head out of the kitchen door, and said,

"Oh, you made it then?"

"Yes, and look at my pokemon!" he said proudly, and the Swablu on his shoulder chirped proudly.

"But Ash," his Mom said slightly worriedly, "what is it?"

"Oh, he's a Swablu, a pokemon from the Hoenn region. Isn't he so cool Mom?"

"Well yes dear, but don't you think you should get changed and going?"

"Oh, right! Let's go Swablu!"

And about half an hour later, Ash stood on the house porch, hugging his mother a final, final goodbye.

"Oh, you will be careful, won't you Ash?"

"Yes Mom."

"And you'll take care of Swablu, won't you?"

"Yes Mom."

"And Ash, remember to change your underwear everyday-"

"_Mom!"_

"Oh, i'll miss you dear!" Delia sniffed, already missing her son- he was leaving home, going on a journey that would lead him hundreds of miles from home and would take him at least a year.

"I know Mom, but i've got to go!" Ash said, jiggling on the balls of his feet excitedly.

"Bye Ash!" she called after him as he set off along the dirt path that lead to Viridian City.

And the only thought that Delia could think of was how alike Ash looked in this moment to his father who had walked out on that very same path five years ago. And all she could do was hope that this time, ash would return to her.

* * *

I know it's a bit small, but it's only a pseudo-introduction.

Islets

XXX


	2. Viridian Nights

I don't own pokemon- Nintendo or whoever actually owns it do, as if I owned it, the anime and games would be quite different... Oh, and I don't own serebii, bubapedia or any of those sites. Thank you!

Islets

* * *

_It had been three or so months since Isiah Ketchum left on his Pokemon Journey, and his family hadn't heard a single world from him in that time. _

_"Mummy?" asked Ash Ketchum. _

_"Yes dear?" Delia Ketchum replied to her son from where she was making dinner._

_"When is daddy coming back? He's been gone __**ages**__! I want to show him everything i've done at school, and tell him what me and Gary have done, and-!"_

_Delia Ketchum mentally sighed, almost zoning out of Ash's babbling- for she could not answer her sons question. She didn't know, you see. Her husband could come back in an hour's time, in a month, a year or even never, depending on the success of his journey._

_"He'll come back sweetheart, we just have to be patient."_

_"Okay! I want him to teach me how to be a pokemon master! I want to be the greatest there ever was!"_

_"Yes dear," Delia humoured her son, before placing his dinner down in front of him, "Now, eat all your greens."_

_"But mummy-"_

_"A great pokemon master has to eat all their greens dear." And this comment from Delia instantly got Ash gobbling down all his spinach, and consequently asking for more. _

_Life in the Ketchum household did not stop in the absence of Isiah Ketchum._

* * *

It was still sunny by the time Ash and Swablu reached the main road to Viridian City. Ash powered on, not looking back towards the sleepy little town where he had grown up. No, he wanted to go, travel onwards and see the most amazing wonders in the pokemon world!

But for now, he was left with a small backpack, and a Swablu on his shoulder as he tired under the harsh spring sun. Stopping, he looked at Swablu, and said,

"They never said travelling would be this tiring!"

Swablu trilled mockingly at his trainer, and Ash laughed, before carrying on, " I suppose you're right, I will get used to it. But why is it so hot? It's only April?"

And the pair carried on walking after Ash drank some of his now warm water, and Swablu demanded some for himself.

It was soon lunchtime for the trainer and his new pokemon, so Ash sat down in the cool shade of a tree, with his bag to the left and Swablu to the right, before he attacked the lunch his Mom had packed for him. Swablu occasionally demanded the odd titbit, but aside from that, they rested in comfortable silence.

The silence was only disturbed a few minutes later, by a series of squeaks and rustles from the bushes surrounding them. Ash quickly stood up, and Swablu flew in the air to defend his trainer, before-

"Rat-taa!"

"Oh," Ash laughed at his fright, "it's only a Rattata Swablu." And Ash pulled out his pokedex, pointing the sensor at the purple mouse pokemon.

The pokedex beeped, before saying in an electronic voice,

**"A FOREST POKEMON. IT LIKES CHEESE, NUTS FRUITS AND BERRIES. IT ALSO COMES OUT INTO THE OPEN TO STEAL FOOD FROM **_**STUPID**_** TRAVELLERS."**

"Hey!" Ash cried indignantly glaring at his pokedex. "I'm not stupid!" The Rattata however seemed to disagree, as it looked at them in boredom, while eyeing their lunch with greedy little eyes, and it seemed- at least to Ash- that it was _licking it's lips?_

"Blu!" Swablu chirped angrily in agreement with his trainer- for already there was already a strong bong between trainer and starter pokemon.

Swablu may have been caught by a strange man in a white coat in her homeland, and he may have been sent to this strange, foreign place, a place of lush greens that was so alien to him, but this boy ... Swablu liked him, could see them becoming great friends and partners. So, Swablu would go with this 'Ash', and would become strong- for his trainer!

"Right Swablu!" called out Ash, while pulling his cap round, "Get ready for our first battle!"

"Blu!"

"Right, Swablu, use... err, what moves _can_ you use?"

The Rattata looked at them both in what seemed to be an incredulous manner, before turning and skittering off back into the thick bushes from whence it came.

"Oh come on!" Ash exclaimed loudly, looking to where the pokemon had vanished in almost comic irritation."But, Swablu, what moves do you know?" he asked, not knowing as to how he was supposed to know all of these confusing details.

In answer to his trainers dilemma, Swablu flapped over, and pecked at the pokedex he held in his hand.

"Oh, of course!" and he fumbled it open, before scanning Swablu into the pokedex matrix.

**"SWABLU, THE COTTON BIRD POKEMON. SWABLU LOVES CLEANLINESS AND IS QUICK TO WIPE OFF ANY UNCLEAN SURFACE WITH ITS COTTON-LIKE WINGS."**

"Yes, but what attacks can Swablu do?" Ash asked it in frustration, and although he was not expecting an answer, the pokedex replied all the same.

**"THIS SWABLU IS UNDER THE TRAINERSHIP OF ASH KETCHUM OF PALLET TOWN.**

**MOVES KNOWN; **

**PECK**

**GROWL**

**ASTONISH**

**SING"**

"Oh, cool Swablu! Look at all the moves you know!"

"Blu!" he chirped, fluffing his feathers in pride.

A short while later, their lunch complete, the pair continued on the road to Viridian City, and Swablu continued to chirp happily every time Ash complained of the heat.

* * *

Night was falling by the time Ash and Swablu reached the outer edge of Viridian City. By now, Ash was tired, sore and dusty from his day of walking under the burning sun, so it was with great relief that he saw the iconic Pokemon centre roof.

Walking through the great glass doors into the tiled reception area, Ash suddenly felt more of a trainer than he ever had done before now. He- and Swablu, who was still sitting on his shoulder, looking very pleased that he hadn't had to exert himself too much that day- gazed on in amazement at the hundreds (or it seemed like hundreds to Ash, who remember comes from the small town of Pallet) of trainers gathered in the lobby.

Young and old, male and female, each was different and was carrying a different pokemon. Ash could see all kinds of species weaving their way in and out of the crowd.

Shaking off his newfound amazement, Ash walked towards the desk, and asked,

"Excuse me?"

The kindly looking, pink haired nurse behind the counter looked over at him, and smiled.

"Hello, this is the Viridian City Pokemon Centre? How can I help you?"

"I was just wondering if you knew anywhere that would have cheap rooms for the night? It's just, i'm new in town."

"Oh, you must be one of Prof. Oak's rookies! The others have all passed through here already. There was one boy with a Squirtle who seemed in quite the hurry!" the nurse said, smiling kindly at him.

"Yes, I suppose." Ash replied, not liking being called a rookie by someone he had only just met.

"Well, i'm Nurse Joy. As you're a new trainer, would you like me to tell you exactly what a pokemon centre does for pokemon trainers? It's more than you'd think actually."

"Okay then, why not Swablu?" he asked his pokemon, who chirped an affirmative answer.

"Well, the pokemon centre not only heals your pokemon for you when they have been injured, we also provide accommodation for their trainers, and we do have a canteen here to feed the trainers if they stay the night. Over in that corner," she said, pointing towards the corner nearest the doors, "there are some video phones so trainers can make calls."

Ash nodded in understanding at the nurse, who smiled again at him -really, thought Ash, did this woman ever _stop_ smiling?- before she asked,

"Well then, I take it you'll want to be staying here for at least one night then?"

"Yes please." he answered.

A few minutes later, Ash was handed the key to his room. Before they headed up to sleep, Ash decided that he was simply too hungry, and that they would instead go first to the canteen that Nurse Joy had told them about. So, after stuffing himself like a Snorlax, he and Swablu made their final stop, and called home from one of the video phones in the corner.

"Hi Mom!" Ash grinned at her.

"Ash! Where are you?" She asked, thrilled to see her son so soon after he had left home- and her.

"We arrived in Viridian City this evening, and we'll probably set out for Pewter in the morning after looking around Viridian for a while." Ash told his Mom, and she laughed at his excitement.

"That's good dear. How is Swablu?"

"He's good, aren't you?" he asked, prompting Swablu to soar down to in front of the machine and coo into the camera, causing Delia to giggle at her sons pokemon's antics.

"He's sweet Ash."

"Thanks Mom! I was just calling to say goodnight, and to say i'm alright as I know you'd worry otherwise." He replied cheekily.

"Ash! I would not worry!"

"Sure Mom. Night!"

"Night sweetheart!" Delia smiled as the video phone cut off the call. Ash smiled at Swablu, and said,

"Well, i'm beat. What about you Swablu?"

"Swab-Swab-lu!"

"Oh, you're tired as well? Come on then!" he laughed, dashing away from where his pokemon sat on the video phone, resulting in an indignant screech, and Swablu chasing after his retreating back furiously.

* * *

"Thank you Nurse Joy!" Ash called as he left the centre the next morning.

"Good luck out there!" Nurse Joy called after the young trainer, before she turned back to healing and loving the pokemon in the centre. How Nurse Joy loved her job, looking after all the trainers and their pokemon. It really was her calling, her vocation- she could never imagine having become a trainer like so many others had. Anyway-

"So Swablu, we can either get started right away to Viridian Forest, or we can go to the pokemon mart and stock up of supplies. What do you think?"

"Blu." he chirped decisively, nodding down the street.

"Right, the pokemon mart it is then!"

Wandering the streets in search of the mart did not take Ash very long, as he had Swablu fly ahead in search of it for him. Soon, they were standing in the entrance of the shop, and Ash looked in amazement at all the things this seemingly small shop sold.

"Right Swablu, we need to get supplies to get us through the forest. Can you find the antidotes while I get potions and like?"

A short while later, Ash's basket was full of goods he thought they would need to get them through the forest as painlessly as possible.

"Right. That's potions, super potions, paralyze heals, antidotes, awakenings, town map, enough pokemon and human food, and a great ball. That's us done Swablu!" he grinned.

"Right, is that you done young man?" asked the clerk at the counter when ash set his basket down.

"Yes, sure is!"

"Right, so that will be... $7'500."

After handing the paper wodge of money over, Ash left, and said to Swablu,

"Well, looks like it's time to go then, doesn't it? Pewter City, here we come!

And with that, the trainer and pokemon left the city, hoping to train in the forest in preparation to face their first gym leader in Pewter City!

* * *

Islets

XXXX


	3. Pewter Showdown!

I don't own pokemon- Nintendo or whoever actually owns it do, as if I owned it, the anime and games would be quite different... Oh, and I don't own serebii, bubapedia or any of those sites. Thank you!

And the beginning scene actually, although I feel sorry for Gary in this scene, I thought I needed to get clear what had actually happened, and it just flowed out of me, this one did. I might even start writing a one-shot series or something for the flashbacks at the start of each chapter... What do you think? And thanks to ribby97, who said I did dialogue well, although my English teachers think i'm pathetic at it after a folio one-shot resulting in a psychopathic! Harry fic, which ended quite badly. Meh, I got an A, they cannot complain... Oh, and Swablu is MALE dear readers. XXX

_**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I WILL LOVE YOU FOR EVER IF YOU DO SO! PINKY PROMISE!**_

Islets

* * *

_"Look Gary! Look what I found this morning- hey Gary? What's the matter?" asked a six year old Ash Ketchum._

_"Nothing, okay!" Gary Oak snapped back, ducking his head down so that the brunette's spiky hair fell down over his suspiciously red eyes._

_"It doesn't look like nothing..." Ash whispered just loud enough for Gary to hear him, taking a small step towards where his best friend was sitting with his arms wrapped round his knees on the green grass._

_There was silence for a few moments as Gary continued to stare stonily and silently at the ground, and Ash moved to sit cross-legged and unusually quiet beside to him. After those few moments evolved into a few tense minutes of ringing silence- only broken by the occasional cries of the local pokemon- Gary muttered, almost too low for Ash to hear,_

_"They left."_

_"Who left?" Ash asked, his characteristic befuddlement coming to the fore. _

_"Mom and Dad, they just... left."_

_"But Gary, why did they just leave? Surely they're coming-"_

_"No Ash, they're not coming back. They were gone this morning, and Gramps said they were going on a sabbati-something._

_"They'll come back- of course they'll come back!" Ash tried to reassure; but to no avail._

_"They won't, I know they won't."_

_"But-"_

_"But __**nothing**__ Ash! They left! They left the Pallet and Gramps and Daisy! They left __**me**__! I don't care if they never ever come back, I hate them! I hate them, I hate them, I __**hate**__ them!" Gary's voice was now rising in pitch and anger, his still cherubic, childish face red and flushed in anger. _

_"Don't say that Gary!" Ash said, shocked at his best friend, "You can't hate them! They're your parents!"_

_"Yes I can!" he almost shouted, sitting back onto his knees, "They-"_

_"Yes they left you, but you can't hate them!" Ash replied, his voice too becoming heated now, "I don't hate __**my**__ Dad, and he's been gone almost a year and he's not written or called us or anything!"_

_"But...Bu-bu-but they l-l-eft m-me..." Gary began to stutter, and before Ash knew it, Gary was sobbing his heart out on the grass._

_"They __**left **__ me Ash!" and as he began to become hysterical, Ash tried to haul him up several times from his prone position on the grass, until he finally succeeded, and Ash lead the shaking Gary back through the softly waving cotton-grass fields to Pallet Town. _

* * *

"Blu, swablu blu!" Swablu cheeped at Ash, pecking the town map he held uselessly in his hands.

"What, you think it's that way? It can't be that way Swablu; it's _this_ way!"

"Swablu!" he snapped back at his trainer, privately thinking he wished he could hold the map himself, knowing that he would do a much better job at navigating than his air-headed daydreamer of a trainer. At least Swablu could sort of read a map, while Ash -or as Swablu preferred to call him (at least for the present) fluff head- couldn't tell if the map was the right way up, or if it was the wrong way round. Swablu could swear to Moltres that earlier that day, Ash had had the map open to the pages showing Lavender Town- which was most definitely not the page showing the Viridian Forest!

"Oh fine then, we're lost! I'll admit it! Happy now?" Ash moaned dramatically, and Swablu cheeped in amusement before flapping his cotton wings and flying off down the path, causing Ash to shout and run quickly to catch up.

After an afternoon of walking along a small beaten pokemon track through the forest, both Ash and Swablu were willing to accept that they had gone horribly wrong somewhere, and now that night was falling, and after finally realizing they were nowhere close to either a Poke Centre or Pewter City- or indeed any other form of civilization Ash decided to picket camp in a small clearing by a pleasantly gushing stream. Cooking for the first time over an open fire was an... interesting experience that almost culminated in a forest fire- although Ash did in the end get his noodles without causing a natural disaster- and Swablu only watched on as his trainer failed time and time again to erect the small one man tent. Eventually Ash gave up on the tent after the main support pole broke in half and the canvas ripped, so Ash then just pulled his sleeping bag over to where it would be covered by the leafy tree-top canopy, and exhausted by the day spent wandering lost in the forest, fell asleep almost as soon as he was settled.

Swablu had been stretching his wings after Ash had broken the tent, so returned in surprise at seeing his trainer asleep under a young tree. Cooing softly, he fluttered over to Ash, and wormed his way into the bag till he was warm and tightly cocooned in the sleeping bag as well. And so the trainer and pokemon were asleep for the first time living rough.

* * *

It had been almost a week since Ash and Swablu had entered and Viridian Forest, and despite the result of Ash's constant day-dreaming being getting hopelessly lost for five days, they were having a wailord of a time.

"Swablu, use peck on Metapod before it can use harden!" Ash called out. They'd come across yet another Metapod, and after a while Ash had begun training Swablu for the Pewter Gym against the wild Weedle, Kakuna, Caterpie, Metapod, Pidgey and the occasional Pidgeotto.

"POD!" it cried out in pain, it's harden attack failing due to the distracting peck.

"Right, that's good- now use fury attack to finish it off!" Ash said, well used to the way off training his pokemon against the more resistant Metapod.

"Swab!" he cried out as he hit the Metapod broadside, knocking it out quickly. Grinning, Ash called back Swablu to him, and left knowing that the Metapod would recover and awaken sooner if he wasn't there looming over it.

"Well, you've learned fury attack, and you've managed to beat everything we've met so far, so I say we at least try to get to Pewter City by tonight."

"Swab."

"Come on then, don't you want to battle the Gym Leader tomorrow?"

"Blu!"

Laughing, Ash jogged off down the slowly widening path that they were both sure led to the Viridian Forest/Pewter City Gate, and just as they glimpsed the familiar red stone architecture of the Gate-

"Hey you, Pokemon Trainer!"

Ash spun around, Swablu fluttering above his head chirruping protectively in surprise,

"Yes? Who are _you_?" Ash asked in confusion. The boy he saw in front of him was dressed as a Samurai, but Ash was _pretty sure_ you didn't get samurai his age, or in fact in Kanto at all.

"I? I am the famous Samurai Kid of Viridian Forest!"

Sweat-dropping, Ash replied,

"Well i've never heard of you."

"Well, Mr Clever," growled the boy, clearly incensed by Ash's comment, "I challenge you to a pokemon battle!"

Looking at Swablu, he shrugged, though was slightly irritated by the boys obvious temper (conveniently ignoring the fact that his temper was much the same), and said,

"Why not, what's the harm?"

"Ha! That's what you think! Prepare to lose!"

"Get ready to battle Swablu- and ready to win!"

"Go Pinsir- crush that baby bird with your pincers!"

And from the pokeball erupted a massive brown bug-like creature with massive grey barbed horns. Interested, Ash pulled his Pokedex off his belt, and scanned it,

"**PINSIR. THS FEARSOME POKEMON USES ITS POWERFUL CLAWS TO PUT THE SQUEEZE ON ITS OPPONENTS."**

"Okay, right, Pinsir let's get this over with- use vicegrip!

As the Pinsir charged towards Swablu, it's great claws glowing softly, Ash cried out,

"Swablu, dodge and use peck!"

Swablu only needed to soar up a few feet, and Pinsir charged right underneath, almost smacking into a tree. In the time it took for it to recover, Swablu had already come from behind and used peck, causing it more pain as it screeched horribly at the attack.

"Quickly, use sing before it attacks again!"

"Blu!"

"Pinsir, use screech so it can't use sing!"

But Pinsir had only just opened its' barbed mouth before it was sent straight to sleep, and after that, the battle had become one sided, with Swablu easily winning with a few well placed powerful peck attacks.

"Return..." the kid muttered, looking quite put out at his defeat, "Here, take this." and he held out Ash's winnings, which Ash noticed were meagre.

"Thanks for the battle." Ash said as he shoved the notes into his pocket, and had been about to turn round when,

"Hey, Pokemon Trainer!"

Ash mentally growled at the feeling of deja vu- what could he want _now_? He's already beaten him in a battle, what else did he want?

"My name is Ash you know." he said, irritated at his constant prevention of reaching the Viridian Gate.

"Then Ash, where are you from?"

"Pallet Town... why?"

"It's just I battled three other trainers from Pallet Town this week. I won against the last two, but the first one, the one with the spiky brown hair- now _boy_ was his Squirtle strong! He downed us just like you did, if not even quicker!"

"Gary." Ash muttered. Of course Gary had to be first to get to Pewter, first to pass through the forest, and above all, first to defeat this _irritating little samurai boy who thought he was so tough_!

"See you!" the boy called, and soon he was gone, back into the bushes where Ash was sure he was setting up another ambush for some poor unsuspecting trainer.

"Honestly..." he muttered darkly, and carried on towards the ever elusive gate.

* * *

Finally after a week of travelling, Ash and Swablu were settled in the Viridian City Pokemon Centre. And _what_ a nice feeling it was to not have to cook your own food or sleep under a tree with a dirty great root sticking into your back- or at least, that's what Ash felt as he lay back on his soft feeling bed in the tiny room he'd grabbed for himself and Swablu.

If this was what being a pokemon trainer felt like- the rush of travelling was so different to the steady and sedate pace that was the rhythm of Pallet Town life- Ash decided he liked it, he liked it a lot.

Wandering around Pewter that night was an amazing experience for the small town boy. Ignoring the museum on fossils for now, he gravitated towards the night-time market in the centre of the city, feeling only slightly guilty at Swablu's absence- for the bird pokemon was resting back at the centre for the next days battle .

"Pokemon food, two for one!"

"Souvenirs of Pewter City-"

"Amazing bargain, just five hundred dollars-"

Ash stared in awe at the sheer number of people in such a small area. Growing up in Pallet meant that he -and even Gary to a certain extent- had been shielded from the rest of the world- grown up in a cocoon of safety that only leaving could shed. Even in Viridian City Ash hadn't seen this volume of other humans- young and old, fat and thin, male and female- because he'd arrived late and left early the next morning.

"Well young man, would you like a souvenir of Pewter City?"

Ash spun to see a amazingly tall man with greying dark hair, and a slightly aged tanned face standing behind a makeshift stall piled high with stones and rocks in a multitude of shapes, textures and colours.

"Err, no thank-"

"It's something to mark the stages of your journey by young man... So you can remember your travels forever, even after you settle."

"Fine, how much?"

"Pick the one you like, and i'll tell you." the man replied, irritating Ash with his ambiguity.

Sighing, Ash scanned the rocky display before his eyes snagged upon a pretty enough flat rock that when Ash picked up felt light enough not to be a burden to him. Turning it over, he gasped as it glinted and beamed out rainbows into his brown eyes, almost blinding him with the brilliance.

Laughing, the seller looked down at him, and said,

"Well that here stone was taken out of Cerulean Cave, the other side of Mount Moon. Beautiful, isn't it."

"How much then?" Ash asked, deciding that it wasn't heavy enough to be a burden, and it _would _be nice to have a souvenir from the place he won his first gym badge.

"Only two hundred dollars for one such as yourself."

"Thanks!" Ash smiled at the stall holder before he melted back into the crowd, fully intending to look around a little more before heading back to the pokemon centre to rest for the battle that was his biggest yet.

* * *

So, the next morning, Ash decided the time had come for himself and Swablu to prove to his Mom, Professor Oak and most of all _**Gary**_ that he was a trainer of regard. He had devised a strategy last night in his box of a room after hearing another challenger complain about his battle. So, he was he ready for this? Yes, he was ready for this, already hanging on the edge of anticipation for the upcoming battle. However...

There stood Ash in the foyer of the Pewter Gym, staring in slight confusion at the teen, who with his dark hair and tan skin appeared to have... no eyes? How was that possible, having no eyes? Did that even work, having no eyes with which to see? Shrugging, deciding it was no business of his if the gym leader was blind or not, Ash shouted out,

"Hello?"

Silence.

"Hello?"

More silence.

"Hello!"

Still more silence.

"Right, i'm Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, and I challenge you to a Gym Battle!" he shouted at the top of his lungs in anger.

"You should have just asked then." The teen, who Ash knew was Brock, the Gym Leader said, stepping down from his boulder, and leading the way to a battlefield of rocks without looking back.

So the Gym leader was strange then. Yes, definitely weird, Ash concluded.

"This will be a one on one gym battle between gym leader Brock, and Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. Are these conditions acceptable to both parties?" the referee asked, though the answer should be quite obvious- this was the simplest kind of battle after all.

"Yes." both battlers replied, nodding as they spoke.

"Then let the battle commence."

"Onix, I choose you!" And a massive rock snake appeared on the field, causing dust to fall from the ceiling, and the floor to shake as it roared.

"Swablu, come on out!"

"Right, Onix- use rock tomb!

"Swablu dodge quickly!"

Swablu flew up and out of the way of the incoming attack only just in time, and it sailed below him, slamming hard into the battlefield barriers.

"Now, Swablu quickly use sing!"

"Onix get out of range!"

But alas for Onix, it was simply too bulky to get out of range of the beautiful singing that quickly, so soon fell victim to the lulling melody, crashing down to the ground with a huge thud that shook the very walls of the gym.

"Now, start using peck and don't stop unless it wakes up!"

"Blu!"

"Onix! Onix, snap out of it!" Brock was yelling from his line-box on the other side of the field as Swablu started pecking at his pokemon furiously. Finally for Brock, the rock snake pokemon opened one eye, and smashed Swablu away from his using his rough tail.

"Swablu! Are you alright?"

"Blu blu!" he called, shaking himself off and flapping up to midair once more.

"Right , use fury attack as soon as you can get close!"

"Onix, use rock blast!"

Swablu had to dive and wheel around huge chunks of rock that were being fired through the air at him, finally managing to strike after several whirling evasive manoeuvres.

"Onix, use dragonbreath!"

"Get dodging, try and lure him up!"

Brock ordered his pokemon to follow, knowing all to well this had to be a trap, and Onix breathed out more streams of blue fire, before suddenly-

"NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAA"

"What is _that_?" asked Brock, covering his ears from the screaming noise.

"Your sprinkler system." smirked Ash, laughing at the dumbfounded look Brock gave him, before he turned his gaze back to his pokemon to find his huddled and miserable on the floor, saturated already.

"Finish this quickly with fury attack Swablu!"

And Brock's Onix was downed, after Ash's tactical victory.

* * *

"Well, here you are Ash- the Boulder Badge."

"Wow, Swablu- look at this!"

Striking a strange pose, Ash spun and punched the air,

"We've got a Boulder Badge!"

"Swab blu blu!" the pokemon agreed excitedly.

"Just out of interest Ash, how did you know about the sprinkler system?"

"Somebody in the pokemon centre was talking about it last night, said they'd wished they'd used it in their gym battle 'cos it'd have been much easier."

Brock smiled, his 'eyes' crinkling at the corners,

"Well, i'll just have to fix it, Onix didn't stand a chance after that."

"That was the idea!" Ash grinned back happily.

And as Ash was standing outside the Pewter City gym, feeling ecstasy bubbling up in him at his first gym victory, he looked to one of the carved plinths that stood outside the gym's double doors.

**"PEWTER GYM**

**VICTORS**

**GARY OAK**

**ASH KETCHUM"**

"Damn it!" Ash muttered, kicking the statue while Swablu twittered at him anxiously. "He always gets there first, always! It's not fair, is it Swablu?"

"Blu." Swablu agreed from his place on his shoulder.

"Come on, let's get back to the centre to heal you up. Then we can get moving again- I want to try and catch up with Gary, and we lost a lot of time in that forest!

And the trainer and pokemon dashed or alternatively flapped to the pokemon centre, already eager to travel again.

Review please, I would love you forever and as a result update quicker... is that any incentive? :)

Islets

XXXX


	4. Egg-Citement

I don't own pokemon- Nintendo or whoever actually owns it do, as if I owned it, the anime and games would be quite different... Oh, and I don't own serebii, bubapedia or any of those sites. Thank you!

Ash may meet up with people on his journey, but not Brock at the moment. I just never mentioned if Flint took back the gym or not, I just didn't talk about it, as Ash didn't have to re-challenge the gym, so didn't have to ask Flint for advice, which in turn led to him coming back the gym at that time- you see, Ash started off a chain of events that I do not feel the need to follow in this fic (sorry!)

_**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I WILL LOVE YOU FOR EVER IF YOU DO SO! PINKY PROMISE!**_

Islets

XXXX

* * *

_Pallet Town had always had hot summers, but this year was exceptional. The pavement would burn bare feet, and the water in the usually cool mountain streams was warm enough to bathe in. Even at ten in the morning the air shimmered in a heat haze, and the air by midday was so scorching dry that even the fire type pokemon at Oak Ranch took shelter inside, or in the shade._

_Most of the people of Pallet were huddled in their basements, or commanding their pokemon to use ice type moves on them. _

_But, there were two boys who were either brave enough or stupid enough to be out of doors in this weather. Gary and Ash were running, sopping wet through the deserted streets that hot day after having spent hours splashing in the fortunately still-cool river. Giggling, red faced, and gasping with exhaustion, they didn't look up until it was too late-_

_"Hey, watch where you're going kids!" a strange voice told them light-heartedly. Scrambling to their feet, the boys saw the person they'd crashed unceremoniously into- a boy of no more than sixteen, standing next to a Rapidash bearing a saddle and bridle with almost impossible poise. _

_"Sorry!" gasped Gary apologetically, his face red with both embarrassment and exhaustion. _

_"That's alright kid, no harm done."_

_"Look Gary," whispered Ash loudly, "that's a Rapidash, look!"_

_Laughing, the teen smiled down at him, and replied,_

_"Yes, this is Flicker."_

_"She's really pretty..." mooned Gary, looking up at the magnificent creature._

_"Yes, I suppose she is," the stranger smiled, "though the compliments go to her head." And 'Flicker' looked at him offended, interrupting her proud exhibitionist preening to sharply nudge him with her horn._

_"But, I better be going, I think I stayed over too long..." the teen looked sadly back at the town, "See you kiddo's."_

_And the still-unnamed teen mounted and urged his pokemon into a swift trot that took him right out of Pallet Town and down the still shimmering paved road that lead to Viridian City._

_"Who was that?" Gary asked in confusion._

_"That boys," a voice surprised them both, "was Travis Young."_

_It was Professor Oak who had scared the boys out of their skins._

_"He left on his own pokemon journey around the time the pair of you were born, and he was just dropping by the lab to drop off a few of his latest catches while he heads of to the Sevii Islands._

_"Wow!"_

_"What are his pokemon like?" Ash asked excitedly- for he was already fanatical about pokemon, and couldn't wait for his own journey to begin in a four years time._

_"Why don't I show you?" smiled the Professor, and instantly was dragged by two very excited boys up to his laboratory._

_"They're just out the back.." and they were gone before he'd finished speaking._

_Ash stared at the new additions to the Pokemon Corral, his eyes huge and sparkling as he gazed in awe._

_There were a few that Ash didn't know the names of- a slug like pokemon that looked as though it had a body of magma, a turtle like creature that had steam puffing constantly out of its nose, and pokemon that somewhat resembled a chandelier- and there were a few he did know, like Arcanine, Ninetales and Flareon. _

_But the pokemon that really caught Ash's eyes was the massive orange dragon standing a little off to the side of the main group- a Charizard._

_Ash already knew that when he grew up, he wanted a Charmander as his starter pokemon, and it's final evolution looked so cool to the six year old boy. He had seen Charizard in action in the Indigo Conference- he and Gary watched every single televised match every single year, it was simply one of their traditions- and had fallen in love the first time one had been sent out. _

_"Is Travis a fire-type trainer Gramps?" he heard Gary ask his Granddad._

_"Yes he is Gary."_

_"Is he very powerful?"_

_"He's quite powerful yes- he was in the final four of the Silver Contest in Johto three years ago."_

_" Awesome! Do you think he'd teach us how to be that good?"_

_"Yeah, do you think he would?" Ash joined in._

_"Well, the next time he comes back, why don't you ask him?"_

_And they did._

* * *

"Why does Gary always get there first? Why! It's not fair, he always gets everything..."

Ash was still grumbling about his rival as the pokemon and master walked down the dirt path that had taken them away and out of sight of Pewter City. Now, they were headed for Mount. Moon, the first cave that Ash would at least attempt to traverse, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't scared. Mount. Moon had a reputation of being black, impossible to navigate in, and to top it off, lately there had been rumours of criminal activity inside its gloomy caves.

So all in all, Ash and Swablu were not looking forward to the coming days.

But for now, they were walking alongside some of the wackiest rock formations in Kanto, with the sun shining and the Pidgey singing, so all was okay.

But soon...

* * *

"We did it!" A voice exclaimed in high-pitched happiness further up the road.

"I know, I mean," another, slightly nasal voice replied," who'd have thought an Pokemon League convoy would be so easy to get..."

"The Boss will be so _pleased_!" the only female voice of the trio squealed.

These three thieves were Team Rocket Operatives Jessie and James, along with their mascot, an unusual talking Meowth. While they were usually quite useless in their missions of pokemon thievery, this time, they had struck gold.

"Any egg that such a large convoy had to protect must be worth a few quid!" Meowth said, dollar signs lighting up his eyes.

"It must! Well, we'll take it to the Boss, and he'll decide. Oh, do you think we'll get promoted?"

"I hope so, or Cassidy and Buck will be unbearable!"

"I thought it was Ben?"

"No," Meowth tiredly interrupted his two colleagues "It's not Buck or Ben- it's Boris-"

"No it's not-"

"Guys!" Meowth shouted, before sighing- why was it always him who had to referee these fights?- "We gotta take the egg to the Boss!"

"Right!"

"Meowth, guard the egg while James and I go and set up the balloon."

Ash, who had just rounded the corner, heard voices talking and arguing loudly from behind a tall boulder at the side of the road. Curious, he poked his head round- and Swablu sat on his head- and his eyes widened at the sight two Team Rocket Agents carrying what looked like a hot air balloon away, and a Meowth sitting next to a pokemon egg.

Realising that these three must be pokemon thieves, Ash was determined to rescue the egg, even if it meant risking battle with one of the three grunts. But there was one question- who owned the third voice?

Deciding they'd just have to risk it, Ash stepped around the boulder, instantly alerting the Meowth to his presence. it jumped up spitting as Ash walked towards it and the egg, but what it did next shocked Ash right out of his skin.

"Get out of here you mangy twerp, before I rip you into shreds!" it spat at him. However, Ash wasn't paying much attention to the threats it was spitting- it had just _spoken_!

"You just talked!"

"Damm right I just talked, but i'll be doing worse to you if you don't scarper!" it growled. Ash, remembering why he was there, refused to back down, and replied,

"Never! Swablu, use peck!"

The Meowth hissed, and almost slashed Swablu right across the wing as he landed a powerful peck attack. Swablu only avoided it by flying too high up.

Panicking in the realisation that this Meowth was too strong for Swablu, Ash had a idea.

"Sing now!"

"Oh no! That's not-!" was all the Meowth managed to say before it dropped off to sleep. Ash quickly dashed towards the egg, wrapped it in his coat and ran away, hoping to get enough distance between him and the Rocket Agents so that they wouldn't be able to follow him.

* * *

A few minutes later, Jessie and James returned to where they'd left Meowth and the egg, only to find a sleeping Meowth and no egg.

"Meowth! What are you doing! Where's the egg gone!" Jessie screamed angrily, shaking the slumbering pokemon. But, he didn't wake up, so James soon realised exactly what was going on.

"Jessie, a pokemon must have put him to sleep and stolen the egg while he was out."

"Oh! Right, awakening?" she said, holding out her hand for the ice-blue spray bottle.

So using the medicine on the cat pokemon, soon he was awake and furious.

"Dat twerp, i'll rip him limb from limb I will- how dare he!"

"What twerp Meowth?"

"Well, dis twerp appeared, and saw the egg- I think he must have overheard us talking or something- 'cos he tried to use his pokemon, some kind of bird, to knock me out! I was having none of that, so I attacked back until the twerp got the pokemon to use sing on me. He must have stolen the egg then!"

"Where did he go?"

"I don't know, I was asleep remember!"

"Why is it always us this happens to?" groaned James, flopping onto the ground.

"We'll try to find this trainer!"

"But Jess, we can't stay here much longer, or we'll have the Pokemon league after us..."

"Fine, we'll start tracking that egg again after we get out of here!"

* * *

Ash had meanwhile run fast enough to make it to the Mount. Moon pokemon centre, where he instantly asked Nurse Joy to,

"Can you look over this egg please? I found it by the road, and..."

Ash thought it best that he didn't tell the Nurse how exactly he got the egg- after all, he did sort of want it, and she knew he found it- so if anyone reported an egg theft or something, she could tell them she'd found one.

It was a pretty egg, now that Ash had time to look at it properly. It was a soft kind of velvet light blue, and it had white swirls and curls on its dusky streaked surface.

"Sure, if you'd like, you can come with me? We haven't had any reports of missing or stolen eggs in this area, so if you want it, you can keep it?" she asked as they walked into a small examination room behind the main counter.

"I... I'd love to keep it!" Ash smiled- he was getting the egg!

(Of course, Ash was unaware at this point that the egg belonged to a member of the pokemon league... but that is for another time)

After the nurse declared the egg healthy after a full examination, Ash plucked up the courage to ask,

"Do you know what type of egg it is Nurse Joy?"

"No, i'm afraid not," she smiled, "as i've never seen an egg like this before. So I suppose it will be a surprise then!"

"I suppose it will..." Ash smiled down at the egg which was now safely encased in a lightweight glass carry-container that tied onto the back of his backpack.

"Good luck Ash!" the nurse called out to him as he left the pokemon centre.

But now, Ash has left the last friendly outpost before his biggest challenge yet... Mount. Moon...

* * *

So, Team Rocket make their debut! happy now people that Ash has another pokemon (or soon will have at any rate?) Anyone care to guess what's in the egg? Come on, you know you want to really. Sorry I didn't get them through Mount. Moon, but if I wrote that this wouldn't be out for another three or so days and the chapter would be stupidly long. Sorry!

Please review even if it's only a few words! Feedback is great!

Islets

XXX


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